Balfoura Friend Levine - The Jewish Georgian

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Page 14 THE JEWISH GEORGIAN November-December 2006 Jewish Theatre of the South offers holiday fun for families Jewish Theatre of the South will present The Magic Dreidels, a family holiday show by Jenna Zark, December 13-24 in the Morris & Rae Frank Theatre, located at the Marcus Jewish Community Center of Atlanta, 5342 Tilly Mill Road, Dunwoody. Based on the book by Eric Kimmel and directed by Barbara Cole Uterhardt, The Magic Dreidels is the story of a boy named Jakob, a mischievous blue goblin, and a conniving trickster. Performances are December 13, 14, 16, 20, 21, and 23, at 7:30 p.m., and December 17, 22, and 24 at 10:00 a.m., 1:00 p.m., and 3:00 p.m. Tickets for the general public are $10/children 12 and under and $12/adults. For MJCCA members tickets are $8/children 12 and under and $10/adults. Jakob longs for nothing more than a new dreidel as his Chanukah gift. But when his father, Yankel, gives him one, he promptly loses it at the bottom of the village well. Lucky for him, there is a goblin living in the well. And while he doesn’t retrieve Jakob’s original toy, he does provide him with some magical substitutes—a dreidel that spins out potato latkes and another that rains down gelt. But before Jakob can get his prizes home, his busybody neighbor, Fruma Sarah, steals them. Can the goblin help Jakob to out-trick the trickster? Originally presented by Jewish Theatre of the South in 2002, The Magic Dreidels features Jewish Theatre of the South favorites Megan Hayes as Fruma Sarah; Craig Waldripas as the goblin, Mr. Fixer; Larry Davis as Yankel; and JTS newcomer Gil Eplan-Frankel as Jakob. JTS will continue its mainstage season with Born Guilty and Peter And the Wolf (And Me), a probing drama and its searing sequel by Ari Roth, presented in repertory, January 24-March 4, 2007. The theater’s season will conclude with the world premiere of Hank Kimmel’s Shorts, a hilarious Woody Allen-esque evening of short plays by Atlanta playwright Hank Kimmel, running April 25-May 20, 2007, and directed by JTS Artistic Director Mira Hirsch. For ticket information and purchase, contact the JTS Box Office at 770-395- 2654 or jts@atlantajcc.org, or visit www.jplay.org. Megan Hayes and Gil Eplan-Frankel (Photo: Mira Hirsch, JTS)
November-December 2006 THE JEWISH GEORGIAN Page 15 Lessons from a remarkable two years As an academic at Emory University for 10 years, my prime occupations were scholarship, teaching, and nurturing the life of the mind. I enjoyed research, developing new courses, and producing articles and books. That’s what I moved from New York City to do here, and my life seemed set. In the spring of 2004, however, Yeshiva Atlanta, a high school that embodies many of my own values and where our son attends school, was looking for a headmaster. I asked Emory’s dean if I could have a leave of absence to assume this position for a period of two years, and he graciously granted it. Now, after that time has elapsed, a new head is in place, and I have returned to Emory, I can honestly say I had no idea how remarkable an experience it would be. Thirty-six years ago, several individuals got together to open a Jewish high school in Atlanta. While its core was Orthodox and traditional, it remained committed to serving the entire Atlanta Jewish community, and students from a wide range of backgrounds fill its list of alumni. With the growth of the Atlanta Jewish community, it was natural (and inevitable) that the high school scene would follow the path of the Jewish elementary schools—an emerging diversity to meet the needs of the expanding but very diverse groups of parents and families. Over the last 10 years, three other Jewish high schools have opened, each with its own mission and base of support. The population interested in Yeshiva Atlanta’s type of education—strong secular studies coupled with strong Judaics in an Orthodox framework— was now far more limited. The school’s viability was understandably shaky. Yeshiva Atlanta’s leadership met this challenge head-on and achieved four major goals in my first year: adopting a new mission statement clearly articulating the school’s Modern Orthodox and Zionist worldview; running a major fundraising campaign, which raised $870,000, to ensure the school’s future; designing a new academic program suitable to a small high school; and structuring board governance with new by-laws to better tackle the school’s challenges. Those familiar with Jewish education know that achieving even one of these goals in a given year is a major accomplishment; conquering four is remarkable. Yeshiva Atlanta has lots to be proud of and many people to thank: tireless lay leaders, wise investors (I much prefer that term to “donors”), dedicated teachers and families, and Federation have all played important roles in this miracle. Last year, we consolidated our gains, implementing the new academic program and developing a strategic plan that would take Yeshiva Atlanta into its next 36 years. With all that in place, we were able—and fortunate— to recruit Rabbi Elisha Paul, a talented, highly respected, and experienced high school administrator, who assumed the headmaster position last month. As I use this Rosh Hashanah to look back on my experience, I realize I have learned more than I ever could have imagined—probably as much as the students in our own class- BY Dr. Michael Berger es! As I reflect on this remarkable experience, three lessons truly stand out for me: • Philanthropy: Major gifts are the holy grail of any private school, but sometimes a school needs more creative giving. Yeshiva Atlanta was fortunate to have a grant committee administering an anonymous gift of $250,000. In their skillful hands, this major gift spurred both additional giving—the money was set up as a challenge grant to raise a total of $500,000 through ten matching gifts of $25,000 each and a general drive to raise the balance. The board exercised fiscal responsibility by adopting balanced budgets and instituting practices and policies meant to prevent future deficits. In a similar vein, we received a challenge matching grant for faculty professional development, with the stipulation that some sessions include teachers from other day schools, which we did with a Judaics curriculum developer and a 13-week technology course. Finally, Federation assisted us with much advice and leading sessions for our board. Yeshiva Atlanta’s relationship with Federation has gone from one where our hand was extended horizontally—palm up—to one where our hand is extended vertically in partnership. This is true philanthropy. • Collaboration: Jewish schools are extremely complex institutions with many stakeholders: parents, students, board members, faculty, investors, and Federation. I used to think headmasters were born supermen or messiahs who were able to bear so much on their broad shoulders. Now I see that the headmaster’s job is not to keep all these groups happy, but rather to help the lay leadership develop and implement a vision for the school that all these constituencies can feel excited about supporting. In this environment, all groups really do rise to their potential and assume their responsibilities—from board members and teachers who dedicate countless hours to the school to students, parents, and investors who also understand their respective roles. Such collaboration breeds more support for the school and strengthens it in the long run. • Education is a messy business: Schools, especially high schools, are in the business of awakening curiosity and insight in children and preparing them for life “out there”—in college and beyond. While there are some generalities, this is far from a predictable enterprise, and every student is a unique undertaking—with overnight surprises (in both directions) the only constant. In this setting, charting paths of learning is itself a learning process for the teachers and staff and takes time—with appreciation of the multiple styles of learning that exist among faculty and students. The school’s slogan is “Welcome to Our Learning Community,” and YA models it—patiently—at every level of the school. As we enter 5767, I am filled with many emotions. First, I feel tremendous gratitude to the Almighty and to the hundreds of people who helped us out these two years. I will continue to help Rabbi Paul and the school I’ve come to love in any way I can. Second, I know many people in Atlanta value the diverse options that make our city great for raising Jewish families, and so I am confident that others will join our effort to situate Yeshiva Atlanta firmly within the bright and growing constellation of day schools in our city. More than anything, though, I feel humility that this small high school helped me learn more with every passing day than I’ve done in years. Isn’t that what school’s all about? Rabbi Dr. Michael Berger is associate professor of Jewish Studies in the Emory University Department of Religion. He served as Yeshiva Atlanta’s headmaster from 2004-2006. Bar/Bat Mitzvahs • Weddings • Corporate Events • Fundraisers Exclusively Planning Parties for 13 Years It’s My Party,Inc. Full Service Event Planning Sharon Fisher 770-395-1094 • itsmypartyinc@hotmail.com Special Occasions • Holiday Parties • Banquets • Meetings
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